Set Time Dinner Flexibility?

[mygollie]

I chose a set time for dinner but I'm not 100% sure if my family and I will change our minds or run into a situation where we can't make it to dinner after a long day at a port.

What's the flexibility on the set time dinners? Can we just not show up or change to any time dining if we decide to? Or do we need to alert the maitre d in advance? (If so, how early in advance?)

 

 

[1kaper]

You can just not show up anytime.  

You may not be able to switch to anytime dining though.  I believe there are only so many slots available and they tend to fill up.  You could speak with the maitre d when you board to switch but no guarantee.  

[pcvtmom]

If you can't make it to dinner after a long day in port, you do have the option to "not show up". Many of the same foods will be available on the Lido deck buffet, and you also have the deli and pizza options. Also, there are some "pay extra" options which you may be able to utilize, if they aren't completely booked up.

[PrincessArlena'sDad]

Pending availability, you can change your dining assignment by calling carnival (or travel agent if you have one). 

 

After boarding, you can ask the maitre d to change times, and they will accommodate if they can.  

[Schoifmom]

To be clear, your dining assignment is your dining assignment.  If you choose set-time dining (whether early or late), that is your dining time.  If you choose YTD, that is your dining assignment.  You cannot just randomly switch back and forth during the cruise, you have to stick with what you choose.

 

You have options if you cannot make your set-time dining assignment.  You can eat at the Lido buffet or any other dining option that is open whenever you are ready (including making reservations at additional cost venues).  What you cannot do is just show up for YTD.

[hapytobehr]

29 minutes ago, Schoifmom said:

To be clear, your dining assignment is your dining assignment.  If you choose set-time dining (whether early or late), that is your dining time.  If you choose YTD, that is your dining assignment.  You cannot just randomly switch back and forth during the cruise, you have to stick with what you choose.

 

You have options if you cannot make your set-time dining assignment.  You can eat at the Lido buffet or any other dining option that is open whenever you are ready (including making reservations at additional cost venues).  What you cannot do is just show up for YTD.

THIS

[sanmarcosman]

OP, if there is a good chance that on a day or two you will not be dining at your assigned set time table and you know it the night before, please share that with the lead server of your table and any other guests not part of your family or party so they will know to not wait to order their dinner. If the service staff just think you are running late they will very often delay taking the orders for any other guests already seated at the table in anticipation of your arrival.

[ray98]

There is no flexibility with set time dining.

[mygollie]

Thanks, everyone! Very good to know. I am still planning to go to my assigned time dining for most days, but it's good to know that I cannot just change to YTD. I do like that I can still choose to skip my assigned time dining to go to the Lido buffet for those one or two days we might be running late on port days. 

[nydney1]

Mygollie, it sounds like you should choose anytime dining if available. This will give you the flexibility to dine when you choose.

 

Anytime dining is in the same restaurant and has the same menu. 
 

If you choose not to go to the regular dining room you can always go to lido. They are open until 9:00 PM and have many of the same items as in the main dining room each night.

 

There are also a few other options depending on the ship that you are on.

 

It sounds like you may be new to cruising.
 

Feel free to ask any questions. Enjoy your trip

[sanmarcosman]

1 hour ago, nydney1 said:

Anytime dining is in the same restaurant

This is not always the case, it depends upon the ship. Many Carnival ships have more than one Main Dining Room.

[Pellaz]

5 hours ago, sanmarcosman said:

This is not always the case, it depends upon the ship. Many Carnival ships have more than one Main Dining Room.

Indeed, virtually all of them have two MDRs; AFAIK the only two exceptions are the Spirit and the Pride.

 

[crazyank]

11 hours ago, sanmarcosman said:

if there is a good chance that on a day or two you will not be dining at your assigned set time table and you know it the night before, please share that with the lead server of your table and any other guests not part of your family or party

Hang on a second,  you expect us to share our dinner plans with people we don't know and didn't choose to be seated with just for their convenience?  Not likely.

[momof3cruisers]

40 minutes ago, crazyank said:

Hang on a second,  you expect us to share our dinner plans with people we don't know and didn't choose to be seated with just for their convenience?  Not likely.

It’s just common cruise courtesy. All you have to say is that you won’t be there the next night. 

[pe4all]

Just remember - if you have early dining time and come in "late" it throws off the wait staff to get ready for the next (late) seating.  We have seen people literally walk in 1 hour late and it really puts stress on the staff to get them served and ready for next seating.  As others have said - let your wait staff know, and  eat elsewhere that night if you are going to miss/be late for your assigned time.

[sanmarcosman]

3 hours ago, crazyank said:

Hang on a second,  you expect us to share our dinner plans with people we don't know and didn't choose to be seated with just for their convenience?  Not likely.

You sound like a good candidate for Your Time Dining where you can sit alone.

[asalligo]

If you still have the option, just choose Your Time Dining and then eat whenever you like. We always choose YTD and most of the time eat as soon as the MDR opens. 

[hapytobehr]

5 hours ago, pe4all said:

Just remember - if you have early dining time and come in "late" it throws off the wait staff to get ready for the next (late) seating.  We have seen people literally walk in 1 hour late and it really puts stress on the staff to get them served and ready for next seating.  As others have said - let your wait staff know, and  eat elsewhere that night if you are going to miss/be late for your assigned time.

Very unusual to allow guests to arrive an hour late.  Usually they will not serve you if you are more than 15 minutes late.

[Pyxie]

It actually sounds like you would probably prefer YTD from the start. You can still eat at the same time every night if you want. You can even request the same waitstaff if you prefer, but it gives you that flexibility on days you need it.

[ABQrobin]

40 minutes ago, hapytobehr said:

Very unusual to allow guests to arrive an hour late.  Usually they will not serve you if you are more than 15 minutes late.

Our one and only time doing assigned dining we had one couple who came late EVERY night.  It was so rude.  I don't know why the staff allowed them to stay and not tell them to go to YTD room.  They finally got the message by day 5 and changed.  We haven't done assigned time since.  

[Schoifmom]

21 minutes ago, ABQrobin said:

Our one and only time doing assigned dining we had one couple who came late EVERY night.  It was so rude.  I don't know why the staff allowed them to stay and not tell them to go to YTD room.  They finally got the message by day 5 and changed.  We haven't done assigned time since.  

 

I agree it was rude.  To be fair, they can't tell them to go to the YTD room (see post #5).  They can tell them to go the Lido.

[CheckersMidwest]

If we cannot be ready for dinner on time after a port day, we just eat somewhere else.

 

If we know in advance that we will not be eating in the dining room - like steakhouse, eating ashore, etc then we tell the waiters the night before - as well as any table mates. They should not sit and wait on us to be served.

 

If it's a last minute decision, we let the matre de know. Same for as any reservation at home.

[VictorWI]

One cruise our friend did all the planning and booking for a group of us so she had access to all the bookings. We had changed ours to YTD as we told the group we didn't like to eat that late but something she did near our sail date changed it back to the Late Seating (and twin beds but the Steward was able to remedy that right away). We did not notice until we checked in.

 

We went to the Maitre D' as soon as we could after boarding to change and he said they had no openings but would see what they could do. We went with the group to late seating that night and met the servers. The next day the Maitre D' and said they were able to change us to YTD.

 

We had the best of both worlds that cruise. They never put anyone else at the groups table so we could eat when we wanted or with the group on those days we got back on the ship late anyway. 😁